Improvements fastening ivsafl-bags



W. J'. STWELL,

Fastening Mail-Bags.

No. 134,571. Patented Jan. 7, 1873.

wiLLLiM J. sTowELL, on BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

lVEPRQVENiENT'IN FASTENlNG MAM-BAGS.

-Speciiication forming part of Letters Patent No, 1341,571, dated January 7, 18T-3.

To altar/hom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM J. STownLL,

ofthe city and county of Baltimore, inthe State f ofMaryland, havein vented an Improved Means for Fastening and Labeling Mail-Bags, and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing making part of this specification, in which- Figure l represents the open end of a mailbag with my improved fastening and label applied to it; Figs. 2 and 3 show the construction of the fastening clamp or buckle; and Figs. 4,-5, and 6 show the construction of the label. v

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

This invention relates to an improved mode of fastening and labeling mail-bags, which are usually made of canvas, and designed for containing printed matter.

The mode of fastening these bags, as hitherto adopted, consists in lacing them with pieces of hemp rope, which are tied around the bags, and which have wooden labels attached to them. The ends of the ropes are left bunchy, and cannot be quickly inserted through the lacing-holes. The ropes are generally cut and wasted in the hurry of opening the bags, and the labels, which are written on with apen or pencil, require to be planed off every time they are used, all of which is objectionable on account of expense and loss of time.

The nature of my invention consists, first, in the employment of a thong of leather or other liexible substance, which is tied permanently into one of the lacing-holes of a bag, in coinbination with a clamping-buckle; as will be hereinafter explained; second, in the combination with a buckle hereinafter described of a label and label strap, the latter being so applied to the buckle that when the bag is lifted by it the lacing-thong will be griped more rmly, as will be hereinafter explained.

The following description of my invention will enable others skilled in the art to understand it.

In the accompanying drawing, A represents the upper or open end of a mail-bag for printed matter, which bag is made in precisely the same way as those at present in use by the Post-Office Departmentthat is to say, with one of the cross-bars of this frame.

eyelets a a for receiving a lacing-thong, B. The thong B, which I prefer to make oi' leather, has one end pointed. The, other end is attached to a clamping-buckle; and this thong is tied to the bag in one ofthe eyelets at c, as shownin Fig. 1. The thongis of such size as will readily pass through the eyelets a for lacing up the bag when it is quite full; but when the bag is not full then it will not be necessary to lace its end, as the thong can in this case be passed around the bag between its ends. rEhe buckle or thong clamp consists of a rectan gular frame, D, across which is a bar, g, to which is pivotcd a clamping-lever, E, as shown in Fig. 2. The lever E has a loop, e, formed on one end, and a flat griping-j aw, j, on the other end.

.One end of lever E is above the frame, and

the other end is below it. Thus it will be seen that the said lever passes obliquely through the frame. The thong B is secured fast to the looped end e of the lever E in 'any suitable manner, and is passed through the fralne D, as shown in Figs. l and 2, so as to draw on yThe other end of the buckle receives the thong B through it and between the jawf anda row of teeth or serrations, s, as shown in Fig. 2.

It will be seen that when the thong is passed around a bag and buckledit will be held firmly, and the more the bag expands the tighter will the strap be griped.

For convenience in constructing the buckle, and cheapness, I prefer to cast the frame, the cross-bar, and a tang, d, of one piece, and connectvthe lever E to the bar g by pressing the lips i i around it. The tang d on the griping end of the buckle-frame, and the .wide jaw f on the lever E afford hold for the ngers when it is desired, to open a bag. Around the lever E, between its looped end and pivot, a strap, (l, is passed, to which a tag or label holder, G, is attached by means of a loop, m, of said strap, and an eye, Z, on the holder G. The strap C is applied to the lever as described for two reasons, to wit: It is the most secure and convenient point for the attachment of the strap; and when so attached it aords a ready and convenient means for handling a bag Without liability of loosening the thong from the buckle.

The label or tag holder is preferably made in the following manner: G represents the body of the holder, which is made with an eye,

Z, on one end, a concave upper surface, and a `metal plate, j, the side edges of which are bent over the side ledges h, and form grooves for receiving one or more labels or tags, k, on which proper directions are printed or Written. These labels 7c are inserted under the lips of plate 7' by slightlyr bending them, and aft-er they are thus inserted the leather loop m of strap B will serve as a shoulder, and prevent their casual detachment from the holder.

After practical trial in the transportation of the United States mails it has been demonstrated that a very large saving of money and time results from the use ofthe within-described improvements over the old method of fastening maiLbags of the kind herein referred to.

Having described my invention, what Iclaim as'new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent isl rlhe lacing and buckling device B D E, applied, as at c, permanently to the upper edge ot' a mail-bag, A, which is made With lacingholes a a, all constructed and operating in the manner and for the purpose herein described.

2. The attachment of the strap C of the label-holder to the bag by securing it to the part E of the lacing-thong buckle in the manner shown and described.

WILLIAM J. STOWELL.

Vitnesses:

R. T. CAMPBELL, Jos. T. K. PLANT. 

